Book Bites: 3 Sentence Intro About What This Story Is

When the elements of the world have been thrown out of balance, its inhabitants are forced to figure out how they can continue to survive. When the oracle stones select two teenage girls from the Academy of Sages, Kaede and Taisin. The girls, along with their team, must embark on a treacherous journey to answer the unexpected and rare invitation from the Fairy Queen and find a way to save the humans’ land from crumbling further. The girls’ skills, knowledge, and tenacity are put to the test, but they are also being tested in matters of love.

*As usual, to see the official book teaser/summary of this, go to anywhere books are found and read up more about what this book is about.

Now on to My Commentary (**May Contain Spoilers: Read at Your Own Risk)

I’ve never really read a book with faeries and fay creatures as the primary mythical characters in the storyline. To be honest, I don’t prefer reading books about fairies or fay creatures. But Huntress changed my mind! The history and relationship between the Fairy Queen’s people and the humans that Malinda Lo created in this book were very intriguing. Though the fay creatures felt more like the Lord of the Rings elves to me. Either way, the characters, setting, and fantastical elements were mesmerizing.

Okay, let me start with some minor points that I felt were weaker in Huntress.

The fight scene with the antagonist/villain was rushed. I would have liked more action and suspense during that scene. There was a great build-up to this pivotal moment and then it was all over too quickly. I want Kaede and Taisin to really fight hard to win in that scene!

Also the third person omniscient point-of-view made me feel like I was bouncing all over the place. It’s not too distracting to read, but it took a few chapters for me to adapt to this point-of-view.

Now for the great parts I loved about this book!

Kaede is the daughter of the King’s Chancellor who is attending the same academy as Taisin, where both are training to be sages. While Taisin, the daughter of poor farmers, is extremely gifted at yielding magic, Kaede struggles with her studies and is trying to find her true self and life’s purpose. This journey forces the girls to reassess themselves, harness their true powers, and raise their confidence, all while also unexpectedly forming a deep, strong bond with each other.

This fairytale with Asian influences and Malinda Lo’s poetic prose will transport you into the world of Huntress and make you want to stay there. Huntress felt like a mix of Mulan (with the kickass female heroines!), The Witcher Saga (for its enticing integration of myth, lore, world-building) and Lord of the Rings (for the fellowship and the journey). And just know how smooth, soulful and delicious the words feel to read! What does that mean? Just read the book and you’ll understand. You know some prose are just gorgeous, poignant and delicious to read – like silky, decadent chocolate – this is my best way to describe the experience reading Huntress.

Lo’s world and story were beautiful and thought-provoking. From how Taisin, the sages and the fay were able to yield energy through the meridians around them. To how they honor the living and the dead. And to the descriptions of magic and the interconnectedness of everything in the world was simply beautiful to read. The description of the eerie and threatening Great Wood, the peaceful yet powerful river of Kell, the grand and otherworldly vision of Taninli, and the struggling (almost dystopian looking) city of Cathair evokes strong emotions as you travel through the different domains throughout the story. I think her vivid descriptions of each location was the strongest point of the book. You’ll be truly immersed in the fantasy world she has created – this is why it made me think of Lord of the Rings.

Also, tons of quotable parts of the book. So much wisdom to share!

And what about our two kickass heroines?! Kaede and Taisin are such sweethearts and fierce warriors in their respective ways. And through this challenging journey, both girls had to learn to be confident in their powers in order to overcome the obstacles thrown their way and to find the strength to open their hearts to each other.

By the way, I genuinely loved that Huntress had a primarily female cast. I love reading stories about strong female characters as the leads of the story! And the fact that the leading females are an LGBT+, non-white couple? Love this! Overall, the characters of the book were memorable and warmed my heart.

Particularly with Kaede, a major and profound theme demonstrated through her character was the idea of death/murder. Is it enough to justify taking a life as a necessity for the benefit of the large population (i.e. killing an animal to feed a tribe for the winter)? Then why did Kaede feel like a murderer each time she took a life? It explores the pros and cons of being a hunter/huntress. And I enjoyed this theme a lot.

The love between Kaede and Taisin was so sweet and cute. The progression was the perfect pace and really illustrated the slow-blooming and deep love they shared. However, I would have also liked more romantic scenes between the two (what can I say, I’m greedy for romance). I wanted more intimate conversations between Kaede and Taisin to show the moments where they are opening up to and learning more about each other. I felt this would help the readers feel their romantic attraction more. Because one minute, I thought “okay, they like each other. I’m digging this. I follow.” Then the next minute, they have reached another level of their relationship and I felt like I missed the little-but-important moments between the grander stages (aka first date, kiss scene, profession of love, etc.) of romantic development. Though all their stolen glances, blushing, and shy attraction to each other was endearing, as it was very realistic, I felt that the majority of the romance was each girl thinking about the other girl but neither made too many direct attempts at sharing their feelings and attraction with their love interest. Until the latter part of the book.

On the plus side, I love the romance of the side couples as well. They were equally as cute and endearing!

Not your traditional love story or fairytale. The lesson here is that sometimes love doesn’t mean that you turn your back on the things you’ve planned for yourself or on the life you have worked for just because you meet the love of your life. Sometimes love means that you still love each other, even if you can’t be together. A reminder that love is very much the journey regardless of the end results – to always cherish the moments you spent with that special someone.

Final Thoughts

Great fantasy read with unique characters and wonderful world-building. However, I felt like it needed a sequel because I still had some questions about some points brought up throughout the story that I don’t feel were fully explained.

Check out this book if it piques your interest. Hope you enjoy it as your next read or a re-read!

And remember, “Every story is worth the read. Someone (some poor, overworked, ink-stains-on-the-clothes lovely soul) took the time to write it.”